`Taste` Delights Patrons Sponsors Hope Event Will Draw 100,000

Perched on his father`s arms, a little boy pointed at about two dozen egg rolls being fried and exclaimed, ``Hot! Hot!``

That`s what the sponsors of the third annual ``A Taste of Fort Lauderdale`` food festival hope the event will be -- a sizzling sample of what the city has to eat.

``We really want to build this so that when you say, `A taste of Fort Lauderdale,` you know right off that it`s the festival on Las Olas,`` said Guy Rock, the festival entertainment director.

The 1986 version of ``A Taste of Fort Lauderdale`` offered the sponsors, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Broward and the Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department, plenty of tasty fuel for optimism.

Early Saturday, lines of hungry people were slowed down at empty ticket booths. But after about 15 minutes, the tickets arrived and the eating began in earnest.

In all, about 45 restaurants participated in the festival, Rock said. Available for the tasting were Japanese teriyaki dishes, fondue, pizza, fruit salads, Greek gyros, seafood dishes and dozens of other delights.

Rock said sponsors hope the menu will lure 90,000 to 100,000 people this year. Last year`s crowd was estimated at 80,000 for the weekend. All proceeds go to Big Brother/Big Sister of Broward.

By sundown Saturday, most of the booths along Las Olas Boulevard were catering to long lines of patrons, including people like Jameson ``Flash`` Maroncelli and Scot Hoard.

Maroncelli was dressed for the occasion in a ``flamingo festival hat`` with wings that flapped. He and Hoard said they developed a plan of attack after last year`s festival.

``First we walk through once, then we come back through and eat everything,`` Hoard said.

Susan Holeve and her husband, Mitch, said they went to the festival for a change of pace and a family outing with their 5-month-old son, Zachary.

``We like to hit these things like this and take (Zachary) out,`` Susan Holeve said.

The ``A Taste of Fort Lauderdale`` festival continues today along Las Olas Boulevard from noon until 7 p.m. with plenty of food and music planned.